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Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001

"We expect that in the near future your experts will study our proposals, and after that our military and civilian experts are ready to travel to Brussels to explain the meaning of [the proposals] to the European public," Putin told Robertson during their Kremlin meeting, urging the NATO chief to accept the plan.

Putin first made the proposal to European leaders last year, but Russian officials tried to drive the offer home during Tuesday's talks with Robertson, outlining the benefits of a joint analysis of possible threats posed by rogue states.

Robertson told the Russian officials that NATO would be interested in studying Moscow's proposal. He said that while the Bush administration had made clear its intention to deploy the NMD shield, the Russian plan offered an alternative defense system against any perceived threat.

Under the system proposed by Russia, mobile elements placed in strategic locations most threatened by missile attack would protect those sites. It is unclear if new technology would have to be developed or whether Russia intended to deploy existing missiles as part of the proposed shield.

A Plan to Split U.S. From Allies?

Commenting on the Russian missile defense proposal, Robertson said he would study the plan "to see whether this is simply a wedge-driving exercise" to split the United States from its European allies over the NMD plan.

Robertson said he understood that Moscow was willing to discuss the European missile defense plan with all NATO members, including the United States, rather than exclusively with the European members of the alliance.

Robertson said the Russian plan, presented by Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, was still "sketchy," but stressed he was incredulous that Moscow had at last admitted that a serious international security threat existed because of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"What is important now is that we have a Russian proposal to deal with the same kind of perceived threat," Robertson said after the talks.

Moscow had earlier dismissed outright Washington's concerns that rogue states capable of launching missiles posed a serious security threat.

Russia is adamantly set against the NMD plan and has sought to consolidate international opposition to the U.S. proposal, garnering some support in France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and China.

Putin also used the meeting to stress Russia's concern over NATO's plans to expand the alliance eastward, potentially incorporating the former Soviet Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Robertson told reporters he had assured Moscow that NATO's enlargement was "in no way threatening to Russia, because we do not see Russia as an adversary but as a partner."

Robertson said he had "listened carefully to Russia's concerns and will continue to listen."

Putin also accepted an invitation to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Sergei Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian Security Council and one of Putin's closest aides, said he believed Russia might one day consider applying to join NATO. Putin made a similar statement last year.

Later Tuesday, Robertson took part in the opening of NATO's information office in Moscow.

The office was closed two years ago when Russia cut ties with the Western military alliance over the Kosovo crisis and NATO's bombardment of Yugoslavia.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

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